“We've been rolling around in the Stooges' remains like a dog at the beach who's found a dead fish.” - AN INTERVIEW WITH MUDHONEY’S STEVE TURNER BY MCB's JEFF HOWITT with live photos from Magic Stick Detroit

Live shots from Brian Rozman Photography

Magic Stick Detroit - 8/30/13

www.brianrozman.com 

“We've been rolling around in the Stooges' remains like a dog at the beach
who's found a dead fish.”

AN INTERVIEW WITH MUDHONEY’S 

STEVE TURNER BY JEFF HOWITT

MCB: One of the earlier shows I saw you had Laughing Hyenas as one of the openers.
At the time I only knew of Negative Approach or John Brannon by name but it introduced me to Michigan Punk. Do you often search out particular bands when you tour?

Steve: We try to get some of our friends on the bill wherever we go, since ALL of our friends are in Kick-Ass bands.


MCB: Even though a single like “Touch Me, I’m Sick” is held as the Grunge era’s “New Rose”, do you think in context if that title didn’t get attached to that time period would you consider yourself ultimately more rooted in Garage Rock?

Steve: When we started we were pretty sure we were a Punk Rock band.
A Grungy Punk Rock band.



MCB: Early write ups on the band you guys would mention The Stooges and The MC5. Even tongue and cheekily referencing “the High Society” speech in Revolution. I feel for a certain kid growing up in the late 80’s/early 90’s music like yours made it all right in Michigan to finally
celebrate and embrace those bands stylistically and not just as homegrown cult heroes but influential in other music scenes. Do you see part of your musical journey in a Lenny Kaye/Thurston Moore record collecting/scholarly kind of way where you are exploring culturally as well as adding to it them?

Steve: Around 1990, we did a bunch of Punk/Hardcore covers and slowly released them as b-sides, split singles, etc. We were on a mission to remind people of all these great bands from that era, especially since the Grunge thing was starting to get so big and as you might recall, we thought
of ourselves as a Punk Rock band. The Stooges and MC5 are such an obvious influence on everyone, most definitely ourselves. We've been rolling around in the Stooges' remains like a dog at the beach who's found a dead fish.



MCB: Lo & Behold Records & Books owner Richie Wolfheil will kill me if I don’t ask this.
Have you ever heard of been to the Stooges Wax Museum?

Steve: I think Mark has...



MCB: What on a personal level have been the most important couple albums to the Band?

Steve: Our newest record is The Greatest Record since “Never Mind The Bollocks”.



MCB: I must say you’ve always had such great distinctive digs and tone.
What drew you to March to Fuzz so to speak?

Steve: Happenstance, and a love of The Mentally Ill 7" "Gacy's Place". My coworker at a Japanese restaurant gave me a Superfuzz box in 1983 because I told him I was having a hard time getting my Peavey guitar to sound distorted and cool. He asked what distortion box I was using and I
didn't know what he was talking about. I plugged it in and the clouds parted, angels sang, etc.

Catch Mudhoney tonight at Magic Stick Detroit  and pick up a copy of the new record Vanishing Point on Sub Pop GET TICKETS HERE http://majesticdetroit.com/ Watch “I Like It Small” now Mudhoney’s Vanishing Point, the band’s excellent 9th album, is out on CD, LP, and digitally worldwide via Sub Pop.  The 10-track album is led by the singles “The Only Son of the Widow from Nain” and “ I Like It Small”, along with highlights “What to Do with the Neutral,” and “Douchebags on Parade.”    Mudhoney have also premiered a hilarious (& claustrophobic) new video for “ I Like It Small” with SPIN.com. The clip, directed by Carlos Lopez (Unnatural Helpers, The Intelligence), takes it cues from the song’s lyrical content (“Intimate settings”; “Dingy basements”) and sees the band in a practice space that becomes increasingly cramped, when suddenly all hell breaks loose. SPIN says of the clip, "What seems like an ordinary performance clip quickly evolves as various props and people are used to illustrate Arm's points along the way, with an especially gross shout-out to GG Allin followed by a handful of wardrobe changes, one bona fide pants-ing, and a very tiny piano solo” 25 years in, Vanishing Point decisively affirms that, even in an age where only the newest of the new can survive (and even then, only for a few weeks at best), Mudhoney still have plenty to say and more to offer. These are songs written from the rare vantage point of a band who went through the rock n’ roll meat-grinder and not only lived to tell such a tale, they came out full of the wisdom and dark humor such a journey provides. Vanishing Point is filled with dread, psychoanalysis and Nuggets-on-fire riffs; the sort of real, uninhibited rock music that is harder and harder to locate these days. With Vanishing Point, Mudhoney makes it easy. Remaining Tour Dates Aug. 30 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick Aug. 31 - Chicago, IL - Mayne Stage Sep. 01 - Montreal, QE - Il Motore Sep. 02 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace Sep. 23 - Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall Sep. 24 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle Sep. 25 - Charlotte, NC - Tremont Music Hall Sep. 26 - Nashville, TN - Third Man Records Sep. 27 - Memphis, TN - Goner Festival Sep. 28 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada Sep. 29 - Austin, TX - Mowhawk Sep. 30 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald’s Upstairs Oct. 01 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks Oct. 02 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl